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Peace River Village
“A small coterie of retired cops jumps at the chance to solve the mystery of the neighbor’s missing granddaughter. A thoroughly engaging and clever read where the senior sleuths encounter a network of dastardly characters involved in drugs and human trafficking. Two thumbs up!” –Sherry Hobbs, author of Bird of Passage and Mac—The Wind Beneath My Wings
Four retired detectives are living out their golden years on the same cul-de-sac in an idyllic planned community called Peace River Village in Sunland, Florida.
When the neighbor's seventeen-year-old granddaughter goes missing, the local police conclude she's a runaway and dead file the case. Dissatisfied with the official police response, the girl's grandmother is desperate to find her and seeks counsel from her detective friends.
Upon hearing of her plight, the cadre of retirees reach a different conclusion and decide to launch their own investigation. But they could never imagine the evil they would encounter or the danger they would confront.
Will the retirees' combined experience be enough to solve the mystery before the teen is sold into the lurid underground sex trafficking world?
Christopher Amato, who spent a career as a federal agent, is back with his latest thriller in Peace River Village. It's time to buckle up your seat belt and get ready for a wild ride that careens from tension to hilarity to horror!
Four retired detectives are living out their golden years on the same cul-de-sac in an idyllic planned community called Peace River Village in Sunland, Florida.
When the neighbor's seventeen-year-old granddaughter goes missing, the local police conclude she's a runaway and dead file the case. Dissatisfied with the official police response, the girl's grandmother is desperate to find her and seeks counsel from her detective friends.
Upon hearing of her plight, the cadre of retirees reach a different conclusion and decide to launch their own investigation. But they could never imagine the evil they would encounter or the danger they would confront.
Will the retirees' combined experience be enough to solve the mystery before the teen is sold into the lurid underground sex trafficking world?
Christopher Amato, who spent a career as a federal agent, is back with his latest thriller in Peace River Village. It's time to buckle up your seat belt and get ready for a wild ride that careens from tension to hilarity to horror!
297 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2024
1374 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Amato
3 books30 followersSince he was a child, Christopher Amato dreamed of working in law enforcement. After earning a degree with honors in criminology from Florida State University, he began working as a federal agent. Upon retirement, he pursued another longstanding dream, turning his attention to writing. His first two books are crime thrillers, followed by his collection of short stories.
Christopher is married, a proud father of three sons, and a grandfather to two teenage boys. He and his wife currently reside in North Carolina, but they lived in Italy for almost a decade, traveling around Europe house and pet sitting, having a blast and learning how people in the world live. He makes a to-die-for vegetarian chili from his own recipe and is known for his quiches.
Christopher is married, a proud father of three sons, and a grandfather to two teenage boys. He and his wife currently reside in North Carolina, but they lived in Italy for almost a decade, traveling around Europe house and pet sitting, having a blast and learning how people in the world live. He makes a to-die-for vegetarian chili from his own recipe and is known for his quiches.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 11, 2024
Peace River Village is an upscale retirement community with several former police officers living on one street. When a resident's teenaged granddaughter goes missing, and the local police write her off as a runaway, the residents band together to track down Jennifer. In so doing, they uncover a scheme of drug and human trafficking involving the local police lieutenant who is slated to be the next Chief of Police.
Though parts of the books were quite humorous and enjoyable, and I did want to read to the end to see if the teenager was safe, there were too many elements that just didn't make sense to me. The girl who was taken on Saturday was still in the city three days later, and though I have no inside knowledge, it seems to me that traffickers are going to get the victim away from the locale as swiftly as possible since that is where the concentrated search will be. But then again, these Venezuelan brothers were bumblers, at best and had a police lieutenant covering for them. Another element that didn't make sense was how a 70-something man was able to take out a man in his 20s with his bare hands. That just didn't ring true.
Finally, I felt that the writing and dialog were geared to a middle schooler. For example, one of the retirement residents asks, "Jennifer, will be a senior, right?" Lois asked? The reply: "Yes, it's her last year of high school." There are other instances of overly obvious text and dialog as well -- this is just one example.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Though parts of the books were quite humorous and enjoyable, and I did want to read to the end to see if the teenager was safe, there were too many elements that just didn't make sense to me. The girl who was taken on Saturday was still in the city three days later, and though I have no inside knowledge, it seems to me that traffickers are going to get the victim away from the locale as swiftly as possible since that is where the concentrated search will be. But then again, these Venezuelan brothers were bumblers, at best and had a police lieutenant covering for them. Another element that didn't make sense was how a 70-something man was able to take out a man in his 20s with his bare hands. That just didn't ring true.
Finally, I felt that the writing and dialog were geared to a middle schooler. For example, one of the retirement residents asks, "Jennifer, will be a senior, right?" Lois asked? The reply: "Yes, it's her last year of high school." There are other instances of overly obvious text and dialog as well -- this is just one example.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
March 14, 2024
This was a new author to me and this was a really good read. This was an excellent cozy mystery with an edge that kept me engaged and reading till the end. Great quirky characters and I want to move to Peace River Village.
June 11, 2024
No! No! No! This book is a bunch of clichés garbled together. Nothing original. It’s like the author, who is probably a lovely person, decided to write a book borrowing from other books he has read. About a third of the way in, It seemed to me that there was not going to be a way to solve this puzzle. So let’s change some facts from the beginning to make it solvable. Chitchat between the two older gentlemen was absolutely pointless, stereotypical and added nothing to the story but wasting my time.
June 22, 2024
Not too bad. Set in a retirement community in Florida, some retired police officers help out a neighbor. Two of the characters bicker with each other all the time and that got a bit old. At the end though, they stood up for each other. Kind of scary how easily girls can get grabbed for sex trafficking.
September 14, 2024
Peace in the Village
I must commend Author Amato on a good story and super ending.
Hope to more novels about Peace River Village. Two thumbs up.
I must commend Author Amato on a good story and super ending.
Hope to more novels about Peace River Village. Two thumbs up.
February 27, 2024
Thank you Netgalley & Black Rose Writing for an eARC ♥️
I highly recommend Christopher Amato's thriller, "Peace River Village". Set in a seemingly idyllic retirement community, the story takes a dark turn when a teenage girl goes missing. Her grandmother's concerns are initially dismissed by the police, but a group of retired law enforcement officers take it upon themselves to investigate. As they dig deeper, they uncover a disturbing web of sex trafficking and corruption that threatens to destroy lives. With its skillful blend of suspense, intrigue, and humor, this book will keep you engrossed until the very end. The protagonists are endearing and relatable, while the antagonists are chillingly convincing. The author masterfully weaves together a complex plot that exposes the dark underbelly of even the most seemingly tranquil communities.
I highly recommend Christopher Amato's thriller, "Peace River Village". Set in a seemingly idyllic retirement community, the story takes a dark turn when a teenage girl goes missing. Her grandmother's concerns are initially dismissed by the police, but a group of retired law enforcement officers take it upon themselves to investigate. As they dig deeper, they uncover a disturbing web of sex trafficking and corruption that threatens to destroy lives. With its skillful blend of suspense, intrigue, and humor, this book will keep you engrossed until the very end. The protagonists are endearing and relatable, while the antagonists are chillingly convincing. The author masterfully weaves together a complex plot that exposes the dark underbelly of even the most seemingly tranquil communities.
June 17, 2024
2.5/5… it all just seemed too easy and convenient for me. Also couldn’t get into it until about halfway through. Ending also seemed unserious compared to the trends of sex trafficking the whole book?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2024
Despite its deceptively tranquil title, Peace River Village channels the thrilling mystery of a kidnapping plot through vivid, delightful, and fascinating character psychology.
I've never read a thriller like this centered on protagonists from a retirement community. It was interesting to see that world, specifically several retired cops and investigators, intersect with the scandalous mystery of Jennifer's disappearance. It reminded me a bit of Taken but with a domestic Florida setting and without the ruthless Liam Neeson vow of vengeance. So it was a fresh take on a trafficking plot.
The book provides a vivid, delightful, and fascinating look into the psychology of not only the victim, Jennifer, but the villain, Daniel Grand. Jennifer's wacky dreams about manatees and cockroach armies at first seem baffling, but we soon realize that this is Jennifer's brain trying to process her predicament and use psychological defense mechanisms to keep her mind off her awful reality.
As for Lieutenant Grand, we only get a couple glimpses into his dark past, but it's enough to understand at least part of how he ends up as messed up as he is. His imaginary, potentially schizophrenic friend Ingram gives us great insight into his twisted thought processes, how he can live such a diabolical double life—having a family and young kids and a prestigious police position, while at the same time hiring Venezuelan drug and sex traffickers and murdering and prostituting minors. We thoroughly hate him, but we can see some of the pain that destroyed him as a child. In fact, this could be seen as a sort of poetic parallel to Jennifer, who also had abusive/neglectful parents and must beat the odds to create a brighter future in spite of the wrongs done to her.
The book is filled with excitement and fun characters. I particularly enjoyed Art and Jarvis's bromantic relationship, appreciating how two men with such different worldviews can find common ground and be not only best friends but effective partners in solving crime. Even Carlos and Iker provide an interesting brotherly dynamic; while they're both horrible, we interestingly find more to sympathize with Iker, the older, "weird," "more violent" one, than his younger, more attractive sibling.
I've never read a thriller like this centered on protagonists from a retirement community. It was interesting to see that world, specifically several retired cops and investigators, intersect with the scandalous mystery of Jennifer's disappearance. It reminded me a bit of Taken but with a domestic Florida setting and without the ruthless Liam Neeson vow of vengeance. So it was a fresh take on a trafficking plot.
The book provides a vivid, delightful, and fascinating look into the psychology of not only the victim, Jennifer, but the villain, Daniel Grand. Jennifer's wacky dreams about manatees and cockroach armies at first seem baffling, but we soon realize that this is Jennifer's brain trying to process her predicament and use psychological defense mechanisms to keep her mind off her awful reality.
As for Lieutenant Grand, we only get a couple glimpses into his dark past, but it's enough to understand at least part of how he ends up as messed up as he is. His imaginary, potentially schizophrenic friend Ingram gives us great insight into his twisted thought processes, how he can live such a diabolical double life—having a family and young kids and a prestigious police position, while at the same time hiring Venezuelan drug and sex traffickers and murdering and prostituting minors. We thoroughly hate him, but we can see some of the pain that destroyed him as a child. In fact, this could be seen as a sort of poetic parallel to Jennifer, who also had abusive/neglectful parents and must beat the odds to create a brighter future in spite of the wrongs done to her.
The book is filled with excitement and fun characters. I particularly enjoyed Art and Jarvis's bromantic relationship, appreciating how two men with such different worldviews can find common ground and be not only best friends but effective partners in solving crime. Even Carlos and Iker provide an interesting brotherly dynamic; while they're both horrible, we interestingly find more to sympathize with Iker, the older, "weird," "more violent" one, than his younger, more attractive sibling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2025
Peace River Village by Christopher Amato was not a usual novel for me to pick up and read. However, as I try to expand my reading to include new genres and authors, I thought this might be an interesting read. The novel is interesting or at least the premise is interesting. The exclusive cul-de-sac in Florida is where four retired police officers live. They are curious about the disappearance of a neighbor’s granddaughter and are mostly willing to ask questions and poke their noses into the situation. However, they are stymied by the police as they offer their help.
The retired police people are willing to try to suss out what is going on, none-the-less and start their own investigation. However, it is clear that there are other factors that are impeding the case, but they bulldog their way through the questions looking for answers, finding some blocks in their investigation. What they stumble upon is a scary reality in many places.
The novel is meant to be (I think) a cozy mystery/detective story. The premise is interesting. Some of the scenes between the older police people are funny. Their determination is powerful, but how it all ends up and wraps up is a bit fanciful. I also feel that the novel could be more plot driven and not character driven.
I think if this novel is the first of a series, it has set up the characters for the future story well. I did finish the book as I wanted the granddaughter to be saved and was relieved at the ending. Peace River Village by Christopher Amato was an interesting read.
The retired police people are willing to try to suss out what is going on, none-the-less and start their own investigation. However, it is clear that there are other factors that are impeding the case, but they bulldog their way through the questions looking for answers, finding some blocks in their investigation. What they stumble upon is a scary reality in many places.
The novel is meant to be (I think) a cozy mystery/detective story. The premise is interesting. Some of the scenes between the older police people are funny. Their determination is powerful, but how it all ends up and wraps up is a bit fanciful. I also feel that the novel could be more plot driven and not character driven.
I think if this novel is the first of a series, it has set up the characters for the future story well. I did finish the book as I wanted the granddaughter to be saved and was relieved at the ending. Peace River Village by Christopher Amato was an interesting read.
February 3, 2024
What happens when a quartet of restless retired city cops who are at loose ends living in an idyllic Florida retirement community called Peace River Village are sicced on a pair of ruthless South American sex traffickers who’ve kidnapped the teenaged granddaughter of one of the Village residents?
The answer is in Christopher Amato’s terrifically entertaining new thriller, “Peace River Village.”
A vulnerable seventeen-year-old girl with a strung-out, drug-addicted mother is easily seduced then kidnapped by the handsome young front man for a sex-trafficking operation. When the girl’s worried grandmother reports her disappearance to the police the case is filed as a runaway and ignored for reasons that go beyond bureaucratic inertia; for there is more than one dangerous predator on the prowl in this small Florida town.
But when the distraught grandmother turns to her Peace River neighbors, it will take a village to find and save her granddaughter; and when four former police officers step up, the predators unknowingly become the prey.
“Peace River Valley” is an edge-of-your seat page-turner that pulls you in from the first page and keeps you engaged until the very satisfying end.
The answer is in Christopher Amato’s terrifically entertaining new thriller, “Peace River Village.”
A vulnerable seventeen-year-old girl with a strung-out, drug-addicted mother is easily seduced then kidnapped by the handsome young front man for a sex-trafficking operation. When the girl’s worried grandmother reports her disappearance to the police the case is filed as a runaway and ignored for reasons that go beyond bureaucratic inertia; for there is more than one dangerous predator on the prowl in this small Florida town.
But when the distraught grandmother turns to her Peace River neighbors, it will take a village to find and save her granddaughter; and when four former police officers step up, the predators unknowingly become the prey.
“Peace River Valley” is an edge-of-your seat page-turner that pulls you in from the first page and keeps you engaged until the very satisfying end.
June 15, 2024
The four retired detectives living in Peace River Village want to be helpful in finding Cora’s 17YO granddaughter, but do not jump in feet first. The police identify the case as a runaway, and Lt Grand stonewalls the detectives’ suggestions. The first half of the story is slow. The four feel they must wait 48 hours, meanwhile poor Jennifer is suffering at the hands of her captors. Jarvis and Art are the most completely described characters, but I chafed at their constant, consistently silly banter while the crucial first 48 hours of an abduction slip by. It was even more intolerable when we learned that a narcissistic lieutenant in the police department is assisting the sex traffickers
I was grateful for retired captain Lois who was experienced and on point. And when newly retired detective Diego joined their Peace River neighborhood, he brought a do-it-now attitude. In the end, Jarvis and Art came through to help bring the case to a close. The story was entertaining with a lot of levity in among the descriptions of a captive teenager.
I was grateful for retired captain Lois who was experienced and on point. And when newly retired detective Diego joined their Peace River neighborhood, he brought a do-it-now attitude. In the end, Jarvis and Art came through to help bring the case to a close. The story was entertaining with a lot of levity in among the descriptions of a captive teenager.
February 3, 2024
When a teenage girl goes missing, her grandmother tries to report her absence to the Peace River Village police department, but the police captain quickly dismisses this as a typical teenage runaway case. Fortunately, the grandmother's neighbors just happen to be retired law enforcement and refuse to accept the police captain's conclusion. Despite the obstacles, the neighbors are determined to put their resources together to find the missing girl. A thoroughly captivating read with crime, corruption, deception, and sometimes humor that will keep the reader rooting for the good guys and hissing at the bad guys. ~ LeeAnne James, Award-winning author of Justice for Loretta and Murder at Gatewood.
March 7, 2024
Truth in advertising: I just got my Medicare card and I live in Florida where most of my neighbors are also retired. Set in a similar environment, I could relate to the retired characters in Amato's crime thriller, Peace River Village. His characters are real and fun, with diverse backgrounds connected by law enforcement backgrounds. I love seeing retired people find a purpose and make a difference! Amato writes from experience and it shows. As his cast of retired police officers looked into the mysterious disappearance of a neighbor’s granddaughter, I found myself anxious, intrigued, and hopeful. I recommend this entertaining read and hope to read more in the future about the retired folks from Peace River!
July 13, 2024
A Nice Quiet Place To Live
Peace River Village is retirement community in Florida where the elderly population look for activities to occupy their free time. Several residents of the village are retired police officers.
The 17 year old granddaughter of one of the residents disappears. A local police detective listens to the woman’s fears, and then states, oh, she’s a runaway. No Police effort was put to searching for a runaway. The elderly retired police men and women at Peace River Village immediately put much more effort into finding the young lady.
I recommend this novel
Peace River Village is retirement community in Florida where the elderly population look for activities to occupy their free time. Several residents of the village are retired police officers.
The 17 year old granddaughter of one of the residents disappears. A local police detective listens to the woman’s fears, and then states, oh, she’s a runaway. No Police effort was put to searching for a runaway. The elderly retired police men and women at Peace River Village immediately put much more effort into finding the young lady.
I recommend this novel
September 15, 2024
Christopher Amato has written a very realistic story that describes the realities of inner city life. He describes the vunerabilites of people who are kind and trusting. There are sick people who prey on innocent and naive people of all ages. His description of police procedures is realistic. The people you trust in government the most are often the most corrupt and vle perpetrators. It was refreshing to read the dynamics of dedicated law enforcement officers after retirement. The characters of Jarvis, Lois and Art are well developed and realistically show the struggles of trying to adjust to life after a meaningful and successful career. Well written and lots of lessons for the readers.
February 3, 2024
When a neighbor’s granddaughter goes missing near their Florida retirement community, four retired cops team up to crack the case. But with their advancing years and a penchant for mischief, these wise-cracking detectives may have bitten off more than they can chew. Christopher Amato's "Peace River Village" is a hilarious crime caper with unforgettable characters and non-stop action. Amato’s prose is crisp and the stakes are high! "Peace River Village" is perfect for fans of Richard Osman's "The Thursday Murder Club" and the classic film Cocoon.
June 16, 2024
Question: What could go wrong in a seemingly idyllic community that caters mostly to snowbirds and affluent retirees?
Answer: The same thing(s) that go wrong everywhere else! Wherever there is a seedy underbelly of poverty, neglect, and abandonment, substance abuse, moral decay ... just to name a few!
When a promising high school student who is supposed to spend the night with her grandmother goes missing in such an environment, is she lost for good? Or can 2 retired police detectives find her - despite the apparent deafness of the ambitious Lieutenant Grand who insists that she is "just a runaway"?
Answer: The same thing(s) that go wrong everywhere else! Wherever there is a seedy underbelly of poverty, neglect, and abandonment, substance abuse, moral decay ... just to name a few!
When a promising high school student who is supposed to spend the night with her grandmother goes missing in such an environment, is she lost for good? Or can 2 retired police detectives find her - despite the apparent deafness of the ambitious Lieutenant Grand who insists that she is "just a runaway"?
May 9, 2025
Even though I wasn't sure how I would like this book I've gotta say It's a 5 star book
This book starts mysteriously So of course you can't put it down. It only gets better as you go through it, the characters the plot all Driving you forward to the finish line. I have read of other books with missing girls that are being sold or bought but this 1 was 1 girl Who was a good girl. Then the plot thickens to a good/bad police officer And from there it just even gets better I recommend this book It should have been 110 star.
This book starts mysteriously So of course you can't put it down. It only gets better as you go through it, the characters the plot all Driving you forward to the finish line. I have read of other books with missing girls that are being sold or bought but this 1 was 1 girl Who was a good girl. Then the plot thickens to a good/bad police officer And from there it just even gets better I recommend this book It should have been 110 star.
March 14, 2025
Very nice
A Florida retirement community has a cul-de-sac with retired police officers making it their home. The granddaughter of a neighbor disappears , but the police just shrug it off as a runaway saying that she'd show up. Something's not right and the neighbors rally round to put their experience to use. Great characters, sadly realistic criminals and an entertaining plot reveals skullduggery and a satisfying conclusion. Hope there will be more.
A Florida retirement community has a cul-de-sac with retired police officers making it their home. The granddaughter of a neighbor disappears , but the police just shrug it off as a runaway saying that she'd show up. Something's not right and the neighbors rally round to put their experience to use. Great characters, sadly realistic criminals and an entertaining plot reveals skullduggery and a satisfying conclusion. Hope there will be more.
June 16, 2024
This novel is cute. A community of retired police officers comes together to solve a mystery. I enjoyed the characters, but the side dialogues between them became very cumbersome, and truthfully I just skimmed right over those parts. The story line was good. The antagonist was thoroughly evil, and the ending wrapped up in predictable fashion. A decent read.
July 6, 2024
Good story of a community working togather!
Christopher Amato tells a complicated tale of a developing team of retirees taking on a criminal investigation which is not taken seriously by the local police. Characters are believably, consistently well-fleshed out. I will be looking for more of his books!
Christopher Amato tells a complicated tale of a developing team of retirees taking on a criminal investigation which is not taken seriously by the local police. Characters are believably, consistently well-fleshed out. I will be looking for more of his books!
December 10, 2024
Entertaining read
I enjoyed the interaction between the characters . these retired officers were just like people I actually know who had long fulfilling careers in law enforcement and were a bit unsure of what was next after retirement, one of them us my husband.
Looking forward to the next adventure for them.
I enjoyed the interaction between the characters . these retired officers were just like people I actually know who had long fulfilling careers in law enforcement and were a bit unsure of what was next after retirement, one of them us my husband.
Looking forward to the next adventure for them.
March 6, 2025
Great story!
The author does a great job of developing the characters so I felt like I was right there with them. Good story line with lots of lessons to be learned. We all need to be vigilant and pay attention to what goes on in our communities. We should be so lucky to have citizens like the Peace River Village folks to watch our backs!
The author does a great job of developing the characters so I felt like I was right there with them. Good story line with lots of lessons to be learned. We all need to be vigilant and pay attention to what goes on in our communities. We should be so lucky to have citizens like the Peace River Village folks to watch our backs!
July 9, 2025
Interesting book with uneven writing. Some chapters are clear, easy to follow, and show character development. Other chapters, especially those involving the elderly neighbors are stereotypical and rather insulting. I'm tempted to read more books to se if the technique or character development improves, but not sure I can make myself do it.
December 5, 2025
Gave up after 100 pages. Could have been a good story but too much about what happened in the part that wasn’t necessary for the story. Also the missing girl was kept drugged which is possible. There were pages and pages about dreams she was probably having. This happened often.
If an authors don’t have enough for a full story they shouldn’t write a book.
If an authors don’t have enough for a full story they shouldn’t write a book.
February 3, 2024
Chris Amato has hit it out of the park again with this timely psychological thriller. His characters performing authentic police procedures is an added bonus making the story more riveting then it already is.
March 2, 2024
I'm sorry, but this book didn't catch me. The ex-cops acted much too slow, the bad guy was too stupid, the victim had no character at all. All in all the story wasn't really believable and the writing wasn't very good.
June 16, 2024
Excellent Police Fiction
With this modern writing method of ultra short chapters, I was able to keep track of my in this book. There is scarcity of this writing skill among today's writers.
With this modern writing method of ultra short chapters, I was able to keep track of my in this book. There is scarcity of this writing skill among today's writers.
June 26, 2024
pity this book had a decent blurb
This book is totally not worth ending. I only read a few pages, it that was too much! Blasphemy, very bad language and such a dreadful topic. No way is this book worth reading.
This book is totally not worth ending. I only read a few pages, it that was too much! Blasphemy, very bad language and such a dreadful topic. No way is this book worth reading.
Read
November 7, 2024Peace and quiet?
Wow. This was a fast paced, intense novel with terror and fear to those thrown into a criminal world. There's a great mix of compassion and some humor to offset it was all. Great read!
Wow. This was a fast paced, intense novel with terror and fear to those thrown into a criminal world. There's a great mix of compassion and some humor to offset it was all. Great read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews